Deadlock’s Violet is letting players build Fortnite-style walls mid-fight

Valve’s newest Deadlock hero is already producing some unexpected movement tricks, with Violet’s ability to create solid ink structures drawing comparisons to Fortnite’s building system.

Violet joined Deadlock on October 16 as the fifth hero released through the City Never Sleeps update. Her arrival also coincided with another surge in activity for Valve’s invite-only game, which reached a new Steam peak of 303,347 concurrent players.

Violet’s first ability, Living Ink, normally empowers her next three bullets, allowing the player to steer them through the air while dealing increased weapon damage and splash Spirit damage. Hitting enemy heroes with those shots also reduces Violet’s ability cooldowns.

The ability can instead be used to draw a solid stroke of ink into the environment. These structures block both characters and projectiles, giving Violet a way to cut off routes, create temporary cover or interfere with incoming attacks. Enemies can destroy an ink wall with a heavy melee attack, although doing so causes Spirit damage.

Players quickly discovered that Living Ink can do more than block shots. Community clips show Violet using her own structures alongside jumps and other movement mechanics to climb rapidly, create improvised platforms and attack opponents from above.

One widely shared clip demonstrated a double Living Ink wall jump, prompting direct comparisons with Fortnite among players discussing the technique. Other examples highlighted by TheGamer show Violet creating walls and walkways during combat, allowing skilled players to reposition in ways that look surprisingly close to building for high ground in Epic Games’ battle royale.

The comparison is not exact because Violet cannot construct Fortnite-style towers freely across the map. Living Ink has cooldowns and charges, while the resulting structures are temporary and can be destroyed, making the mechanic another part of her combat kit rather than a separate building system.

Living Ink is only one part of Violet’s toolkit. Flow State sends her brush forward and leaves behind a trail that improves allied sliding while slowing and damaging enemies, giving her additional options for both pursuit and escape.

Still Life lets Violet focus on an enemy hero and complete a sketch that can stun and damage the target, while collecting completed sketches permanently improves her stats. Her ultimate, Abstract Landscape, creates a large ink-covered area that boosts allies while revealing enemies and punishing opponents who attempt to leave.

Violet is the second-to-last character being introduced through Valve’s current hero rollout. The final addition, Nurse Harrow, is scheduled to become playable on October 20 at 2 p.m. PDT, completing the six-character release sequence tied to City Never Sleeps.

Deadlock still does not have a public release date and access remains limited to invitations from existing playtesters. Violet’s unusual building tricks are therefore emerging while Valve continues to develop the game and adjust its expanding hero roster ahead of a wider release.